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New Toy Categories Needed
March 5, 2008
The other day I wrote about what I perceived to be the need for toy retailers to rethink the toy department and the toy store. Rather than a place for children, it should be a place for adults, teens, tweens, grandparents and anyone else who wants a toy. That means that each of these groups, as well as children, would have their own section within the toy department.
Having said that, I think there is something else that needs to happen: We need new retail categories of toys. The old ones (Dolls, Ride-Ons, Pre-School, etc.) are probably fifty or more years old. A lot has happened since then. There are toys being developed (I see them and I am sure some of you see them as well) that are good toys but don’t get anywhere (particularly in the mass market) simply because no retail category exists for them.
So, rather than allow these products to remain invisible, I thought it might be fun to talk about categories that don’t, but maybe should, exist. So, for starters, I have noticed that there are a growing number of products that seek to instill values, ethics and morals in children. These products are toy-like in design and presentation (dolls, games, books, etc.), are designed to be fun to play with, and have a serious purpose.
They are targeted towards parents and grandparents who are looking for help in instilling ethical values in a world that is getting pretty bewildering. There is, however, no “Character Development” category of products in the toy department. Maybe there should be.
Do you see any categories that don’t exist and should? If you do, share them with us.
Posted by Richard Gottlieb on March 5, 2008 | Comments (3)
